Annual salaries for organic farmers vary each year, depending on the quantity and quality of the farm's products and consumers' demands for those products. Small farms that are new may not see much, if any, profit during the first few years of the business. Even farms that have been in business for many years, with a longstanding customer base, may see large profit one year and less profit the following year.
The U.S. Department of Labor reports that in May 2019, farmers and ranchers, including organic farmers, earned median annual incomes of $71,160, with the lowest paid 10 percent bringing home $37,530 per year, and the top paid 10 percent earning $132,760 or more annually. Since they include large established farms and ranches, these earnings figures are no doubt somewhat higher than those of the average small organic farmer.
The USDA states that most farmers receive off-farm income, however, small-scale farms depend on it. Off-farm means jobs away from the farm taken on to enable farmers to pay bills and have a separate stream of income less dependent on the weather and other uncontrollable conditions.
- Agribusiness Technicians
- Agricultural Consultants
- Agricultural Equipment Technicians
- Agricultural Pilots
- Agricultural Scientists
- Animal Breeders and Technicians
- Animal Caretakers
- Animal Physical Therapists
- Aquaculturists
- Bakery Workers
- Beekeepers
- Beverage Industry Workers
- Biologists
- Biosecurity Monitors
- Botanists
- Brewers
- Canning and Preserving Industry Workers
- Chemical Engineers
- Chemists
- Confectionery Industry Workers
- Cooks and Chefs
- Dairy Products Manufacturing Workers
- Dietetic Technicians
- Dietitians
- Ecologists
- Enologists
- Ethical Sourcing Officer
- Family and Consumer Scientists
- Farm Crop Production Technicians
- Farm Equipment Mechanics
- Farmers
- Farmers' Market Managers/Promoters
- Fast Food Workers
- Fishers
- Food Service Workers
- Food Technologists
- Grain Merchants
- Groundwater Professionals
- Health and Regulatory Inspectors
- Horticultural Inspectors
- Meatcutters and Meat Packers
- Molecular and Cellular Biologists
- Nursery Owners and Managers
- Nutritionists
- Packaging Engineers
- Packaging Machinery Technicians
- Personal Chefs
- Product Development Directors
- Product Management Directors
- Product Managers
- Range Managers
- Restaurant and Food Service Managers
- Soil Conservationists and Technicians
- Soil Scientists
- Tobacco Products Industry Workers